Assam Assembly passes Bill banning magical healing amid stiff opposition

Guwahati: The Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024 was passed in the Assam legislative Assembly in a voice vote on the last day of the budget session on Monday.

The Bill aims to eradicate unscientific healing practices with an ulterior motive to exploit innocent people and thereby destroy the fibre of the public health of society.

Once the Bill is enacted, the commission of all acts of healing practices and magic healing by any person with a sinister motive to exploit common people will be prohibited.

It defines healing practices as a traditional holistic approach to healing the body, mind and spirit of a human being with traditional medicine and art, including any system, treatment, diagnosis, or practice for the assessment, cure, relief, or correction of any human disease, ailment, deformity, injury or enhancement of a condition or appearance.

From now on, no person can take part in any healing practices including claims of magical healing for treatment of any diseases, any disorder, or any condition relating to human health directly or indirectly giving a false impression of treatment to cure diseases, pain, or trouble to human health.

Offences committed under the provisions of the Bill would be cognizable and non-bailable and in the case of the first offence a person can be jailed for one year which may be extended up to three years with a fine of Rs. 5,00,00 or with both; and, in the case of a subsequent conviction, with imprisonment which may extend up to five years, or with a fine of Rs. 1 lakh or both.

Speaking on the Bill on the floor of the House, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “The Bill has no connection with Union Civil Code. We are not resisting any traditional healing practices. But all healing with an ulterior motive will be treated as offence. We want to ban any such thing which is done with an ulterior or sinister motive to earn money from people by claiming to cure incurable diseases.”

“No person shall take part in any sort of advertisement relating to any kind of medicine, remedy directly or indirectly relating to any false claim to cure diseases through healing practices,” Sarma said.

 “We won’t stop anyone from continuing to indulge in traditional healing practices done with good intentions. But we want to ban any such thing that is done with an ulterior or sinister motive to earn money from people by claiming to cure incurable diseases. Such practices can be done with an ulterior motive to garner support for the election also,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said replying to the notices issued by opposition members.

“There are healing practices among Christians also. We are not going to resist it. Because they do not have any ulterior motive,” Sarma said.

“Various tribal communities also offer pujas and sacrifices to their deities to heal sick people. We will not resist these practices,” Sarma added.

Earlier, opposing the Bill leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia said: “We feel this Bill is another attempt to bring Uniform Civil Code in Assam. There is no clear definition of evil practices and each community in Assam has some ways of curing illnesses and healing them based on traditional herbs/medicines and practices.”

Saikia expressed doubts on which kinds of practices the Bill sought to ban as different communities in Assam have been practising several means of healing.

Congress deputy leader Rakibul Hussain, AIUDF member Aminul Islam, and Raijor Dal member Akhil Gogoi also took part in the debate and opposed the context of the Bill stating that the definition of the Bill is not clear.